There will be three times as many winners on cups day at Stawell Harness Racing Club after the hosts dug deep to share the Good Form Grassroots Gold spoils among their community.

Throughout Victoria’s Trots Country Cups Championship the program hopes to transform $500 in cup day bets into cash for the nominated club, but Stawell has gone two steps further on Sunday, stumping up a further $1000 to share the wealth.

Swifts Football-Netball Club, Stawell Pony Club and Stawell Tennis Club will each reap the rewards of $500 worth of bets placed on their behalf by the Good Form team, which should make for a monster Barham Insurance Advisers Stawell Pacing Cup day.

Tennis club vice-president Anna Sullivan said “we are a small close-knit community in Stawell and it’s a great initiative to be able to link the sporting clubs”.

Ms Sullivan is the daughter of Stawell trots trainer Owen Martin and pursued the Grassroots Gold program after her husband, Michael, read a promotion on www.thetrots.com.au.

“We are involved in both clubs, so we contacted (Stawell Harness Racing Club CEO) Lisa McIlvride and she was great,” Ms Sullivan said. “Initially they were going to draw it out of a hat between the three clubs who nominated but then they came back and their board decided to contributed an extra $1000 to get all three clubs involved.

“It will be good for the Stawell Tennis Club and hopefully also get a few more bums on seats at the cup as well.”

Ms Sullivan said any winnings would greatly help the club to build on its family-friendly offerings.

“It’s a really family orientated club and it’s like a crèche here on Friday nights but our playground needs upgrading, so money towards that would be great, and we are also hoping to implement a kids’ corner where we would have games and entertainment for the young ones.”

The tri-club rewards is a further example of Stawell Harness Racing Club’s generosity, with Ms McIlvride revealing the club had also given up to $16,000 in grants this year to a further 15 local community groups.

“They join a long list of clubs and organisations who have benefited from donations given out by the Stawell Harness Racing Club, which we are extremely proud of,” Ms McIlvride said.

“Since 2002 the club has given community support to the amount of $871,312, which includes racing stakemoney and trophies.

“The club also contributes in kind contributions as well as no charge to both Probus clubs who hold their meetings here, no charge to the agricultural society for the monthly markets as well as free room charge to many individuals for functions, wakes and meetings.”

This year’s grant recipients were: Stawell West Primary School (flexible seating and scholarship), St Pats Primary School (scholarship), Stawell Primary School 502 (pottery project and scholarship), Stawell Secondary College (two scholarships), Stawell Railway Station Gallery (reverse split system), Campbells Bridge Progress Association (nozzles et cetera for fire truck), Stawell Senior Citizens (kitchen update), Stawell Historical Society (digitisation project), Probus club of Stawell (bowls tournament, Stawell Biarri Group of Geanology (updating computers), Pomonal Cricket Club (club room chairs), Interchurch Council (provisions for Christmas food), Riding for the Disabled (upkeep and training of new horse Saxon), Stawell Vintage Tractor and Engine Club (tractor pull event) and St Peters Lutheran Church (restoration of organ).